Examining intra-familial child abuse in Charles Perrault’s Fairytales

Abstract

Exploitation of power has been taking place the beginning of society, giving way to abuse. Abuse, at its core, is power that is exerted over someone who cannot fight back; be it physical abuse, mental abuse, or sexual abuse. It can occur anywhere in society; one’s family is no exception. This phenomenon has been recorded and represented in all forms of media and literature; folklore and fairytales included. This thesis aims to look at intra-familial child abuse in the fairy tales, The Fairy, Little Thumb, and Donkeyskin published in Charles Perrault's Tales and Stories of the Past with Morals ('Histoires ou Contes du Temps Passé'), subtitled Tales of Mother Goose ('Les Contes de ma Mère l'Oye'), published in 1697. By using Sigmund Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis and Jacques Derrida’s post-structuralist criticism, this thesis dissects the literary fairy tales to explore themes of the power imbalance between parent and child. The parents may exploit this power and subject the child to different forms of oppression, be it emotional or physical and sometimes even sexual. The study explores how society treats victims of abuse and also examines the consequences for the perpetrators.